Authors/Writers

Terry SouthernClass of 1942

Born: May 1,1924Died: October 29,1995

Southern was an American author, essayist, screenwriter and university lecturer, noted for his distinctive satirical style. Part of the Paris postwar literary movement in the 1950s and a companion to Beat writers in Greenwich Village, Southern was also at the center of Swinging London in the sixties and helped to change the style and substance of American films in the 1970s. In the 1980s he wrote for Saturday Night Liveand lectured on screenwriting at several universities in New York.

Southern's dark and often absurdist style of satire helped to define the sensibilities of several generations of writers, readers, directors and film goers. He is credited by journalist tom Wolfe as having invented New Journalism with the publication of "Twirling at Ole Miss" in Esquirein 1962, and his gift for writing memorable film dialogue was evident in Dr. Strangelove, The Loved One, The Cincinnati Kid, Easy Rider, and the Magic Christian. His work on Easy Rider helped create the independent film movement of the1970s.

Billy Lee BrammerClass of 1947

William Lee BrammerBorn: April 21, 1929Died: February 11, 1978 Brammer was an author, journalist, and political staffer in Texas and Washington, D.C. He is best known for his set of three linked novellas, The Gay Place.